A porous silicon and carbon composite (PSi/C) with granadilla-like structure as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries has been easily fabricated by spray drying and subsequent pyrolysis treatments. For the PSi/C, yolk-shell-structured Si/C nanobeads are equably distributed inside the porous carbon framework. The key point of this work is the combination of the advantages of both the yolk-shell structure and porous structure in one system. The void space inside the yolk-shell Si/C nanobeads and the interconnected three-dimensional porous carbon frameworks can effectively enhance the cyclic stability and conductivity of this composite. As expected, PSi/C with 15.4% silicon content exhibited a specific capacity as high as 1357.43 mAh g-1 and retained 933.62 mAh g-1 beyond 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1. Moreover, it showed a reversible specific capacity as high as 610.38 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1, even after 3000 cycles.
Keywords: anode; granadilla-like structure; lithium-ion batteries; silicon; yolk−shell.